Application of Copper Indium Gallium Selenide Thin-Film Solar Technology in Green Retrofitting of Aging Residential Buildings

The growing imperative for sustainable building retrofits has spurred significant interest in advanced photovoltaic (PV) solutions. This study evaluates the feasibility and competitiveness of incorporating CIGS thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules into retrofit projects for aging buildings. By combin...

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Main Authors: Fan Lu, Mijeong Kwon, Jungsik Jang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Buildings
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/10/1633
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author Fan Lu
Mijeong Kwon
Jungsik Jang
author_facet Fan Lu
Mijeong Kwon
Jungsik Jang
author_sort Fan Lu
collection DOAJ
description The growing imperative for sustainable building retrofits has spurred significant interest in advanced photovoltaic (PV) solutions. This study evaluates the feasibility and competitiveness of incorporating CIGS thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules into retrofit projects for aging buildings. By combining qualitative analyses of market and environmental factors with a quantitative multi-criteria index model, this research assesses CIGS performance across five critical dimensions: aesthetic, economic, safety, energy saving, and innovation. The weights assigned to each criterion were determined through expert evaluations derived from structured focus group discussions. The results demonstrate that CIGS exhibits substantial strengths in aesthetic, economic, safety, energy saving, and innovation while maintaining reasonable economic feasibility. The quantitative assessment demonstrated that CIGS thin-film solar cells received the highest overall score (88.92), surpassing silicon-based photovoltaics (86.03), window retrofitting (88.83), and facade cladding (82.21) in all five key metrics of aesthetics, economic feasibility, safety, energy efficiency, and innovation. The findings indicate that CIGS technology exhibits not only exceptional visual adaptability but also attains balanced performance with regard to environmental and structural metrics. This renders it a highly competitive and comprehensive solution for sustainable building retrofits.
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spelling doaj-art-85140c984f7c45d3893b3bfc04437b8b2025-08-20T03:47:53ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092025-05-011510163310.3390/buildings15101633Application of Copper Indium Gallium Selenide Thin-Film Solar Technology in Green Retrofitting of Aging Residential BuildingsFan Lu0Mijeong Kwon1Jungsik Jang2Department of Sustainable Design & Material Innovation, Graduate School, Kookmin University, Seoul 02707, Republic of KoreaIndustrial-Academic Cooperation Foundation, Kookmin University, Seoul 02707, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Industrial Design, College of Design, Kookmin University, Seoul 02707, Republic of KoreaThe growing imperative for sustainable building retrofits has spurred significant interest in advanced photovoltaic (PV) solutions. This study evaluates the feasibility and competitiveness of incorporating CIGS thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules into retrofit projects for aging buildings. By combining qualitative analyses of market and environmental factors with a quantitative multi-criteria index model, this research assesses CIGS performance across five critical dimensions: aesthetic, economic, safety, energy saving, and innovation. The weights assigned to each criterion were determined through expert evaluations derived from structured focus group discussions. The results demonstrate that CIGS exhibits substantial strengths in aesthetic, economic, safety, energy saving, and innovation while maintaining reasonable economic feasibility. The quantitative assessment demonstrated that CIGS thin-film solar cells received the highest overall score (88.92), surpassing silicon-based photovoltaics (86.03), window retrofitting (88.83), and facade cladding (82.21) in all five key metrics of aesthetics, economic feasibility, safety, energy efficiency, and innovation. The findings indicate that CIGS technology exhibits not only exceptional visual adaptability but also attains balanced performance with regard to environmental and structural metrics. This renders it a highly competitive and comprehensive solution for sustainable building retrofits.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/10/1633sustainabilitysolar energygreen remodelingurban designold apartments
spellingShingle Fan Lu
Mijeong Kwon
Jungsik Jang
Application of Copper Indium Gallium Selenide Thin-Film Solar Technology in Green Retrofitting of Aging Residential Buildings
Buildings
sustainability
solar energy
green remodeling
urban design
old apartments
title Application of Copper Indium Gallium Selenide Thin-Film Solar Technology in Green Retrofitting of Aging Residential Buildings
title_full Application of Copper Indium Gallium Selenide Thin-Film Solar Technology in Green Retrofitting of Aging Residential Buildings
title_fullStr Application of Copper Indium Gallium Selenide Thin-Film Solar Technology in Green Retrofitting of Aging Residential Buildings
title_full_unstemmed Application of Copper Indium Gallium Selenide Thin-Film Solar Technology in Green Retrofitting of Aging Residential Buildings
title_short Application of Copper Indium Gallium Selenide Thin-Film Solar Technology in Green Retrofitting of Aging Residential Buildings
title_sort application of copper indium gallium selenide thin film solar technology in green retrofitting of aging residential buildings
topic sustainability
solar energy
green remodeling
urban design
old apartments
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/10/1633
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AT mijeongkwon applicationofcopperindiumgalliumselenidethinfilmsolartechnologyingreenretrofittingofagingresidentialbuildings
AT jungsikjang applicationofcopperindiumgalliumselenidethinfilmsolartechnologyingreenretrofittingofagingresidentialbuildings